Vegetable growing in suburbia


“It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is 'soporific'.” 


I thought I would give you an garden update now that spring is in full swing. Dear hubby and I have starting our preparations for the summer vegetable growing and one project is well underway - another raised garden bed  (see below). It is now in position and ready for soil. This one is 1.2 metres x 1.2 metres, plenty of room for tomatoes, zucchini and cucumber.  In the late winter (after the frosts) I plan to grow potatoes - something I haven't done before but it looks easy!! 

I don't have a garden big enough to have a large vegetable patch but I do have smaller spaces that can be used for vegetables. I find I do best with these raised beds and its amazing where I can find places to put them. I am sure next year I will have found a space for another one! Our veg garden is not huge, but plenty big enough for two people.

The newest addition to my vegetable garden beds - but as you can see, it needs soil!!  
My other two raised garden beds.  The smaller one has garlic growing (I had no success last year, not too hopeful this year but worth another go!) and the other one has spinach, lettuce, parsley, mint, snow peas, kale, sage chives and spring onions. Plenty for the two of us.  Next veg to be planted is beetroot and carrots.
Spinach and kale. I had trouble getting kale this year, perhaps more success next year. The baby spinach is doing very well and I use it in many of my dishes. 
The lettuce has struggled a bit with the rain we have had, but it appears to have recovered. The mint in the corner is doing very well. Hope it grows well as I will turn it into mint jelly.
My snow peas are doing very well and I have just noticed some flowers appearing. This is one vegetable I have no problems growing its also the one vegetable that struggles to get inside the house as I eat the peas as I garden!!
My garden is currently full of colour as all the daisies flower. It is such a lovely sight.
My daisies - these require very little care and they cope with frosts and heat waves beautifully.
My little hide-away is more like a forest these days - will be perfect in summer!
How is your garden growing?

Comments

  1. Wow your garden looks dellightful! The cooler weather is just so mcuh kinder isn't it. I love those corrigated beds.

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    1. The weather is much kinder except in summer when its some of my vegetables really do struggle!! Those corrigated beds have been great and made veg garden much easier.

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  2. Hi I just stumbled on your blog and love it, beautiful garden pictures x

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  3. Your garden is looking lovely Jo. I love all that shade :)

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    1. The shade is wonderful as it keeps the house a little cooler in summer but it can be a problem for the vegetables that need much more sun!!!

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  4. Your garden looks great. I love those daisies! But enjoying my Princess Lavender... =)
    love,
    Bets

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  5. Looks wonderful, Jo! :)
    Our garden has done really well for some things - herbs, chilli, beets and lettuce have done really well. Still waiting to see how the onions and garlic go. The tomatoes have done well in that they have heaps of fruit, however we have a lot of caterpillars that are wreaking havoc on my crop, which has been extremely disappointing. The zucchini have been producing all female flowers, no male, so I haven't been able to have many zucchini after the initial 4 we harvested when the plant first produced (any idea what to do to make male flowers grow??). The strawberry plants appear to have some kind of fungal disease and the fruit rots before it's fully ripe. Another disappointment. I'm planning on ripping out the strawberries (and the zucchini if I can't get some male flowers soon - it's been about 9 weeks of hopelessness with them!), and replace them with something better. We have 3 passionfruits growing on one of our vines, a few mangoes, and a load of mandarins and oranges. We had to pick off all our blueberry, apple and fig blossoms/buds this year to make the plants grow more before being laden with
    fruit.

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    1. I have just planted my zucchinins - I sometimes do ok, other times the crop is hopeless. Its even worse when its too wet as the leaves get powdery mildew and thats the end of the crop. I will see how I go this year with the 8 I have planted!! I have also just planted capsicum, last year I had no success - may this year be better. I am not one to give up quickly!!

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    2. I recently ripped out my strawberries that had some kind of disease, and a few other things that died off while it was so dry (we couldn't water frequently enough due to not having enough water and being unsure when it would rain again). After all the rain we've had recently, I plan to put some new plants in the ground and see if we can get the garden to produce a little more. We're still harvesting lots of tomatoes, the occasional mini capsicum, we got a few onions, and occasionally get a zucchini or two. :)

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  6. Wow! Fantastic! :-) Love seeing plants growing & I love your chairs - looks so peaceful.

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    1. thanks. The tomatoes, zucchinis and red capsicum have just been planted, a little late but we have had some really cold mornings that delayed the planting. Its great to have home grown vegetables that aren't covered in pesticides!

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